Taylor Studios has many traditions when it comes to the projects we do: the tradition of respecting the people we represent in exhibits, the tradition of meticulousness no matter the size of the project, and the tradition of making truly unique products, just to name a few! These traditions all feed into our biggest tradition of all: our mission to help businesses and organizations inspire people with the products that we produce. Exhibits can help people feel more connected to their community and to other people, and ultimately to these organizations.

We have had plenty of wonderful projects, big and small, that have demonstrated this tradition of inspiring people. Here are some particularly powerful examples from over the years.

Rock wall, Perlan Museum, Reykjavik, Iceland Back in April, Taylor Studios took a trip to Reykjavik, Iceland where we installed a replica of a giant rock cliff that was roughly two stories tall. The real cliffs are some of the most breath-taking sites in Iceland, and they are home to some of the wildest birds you will ever see. Taylor Studios fabricated approximately 200 of these birds, and each one of them looked so realistic that one of the visitors of the museum expressed concern over how unfortunate it was to have “killed” all of these birds for display purposes (we assured the visitor that no harm came to any animals in the making of this exhibit)!

The rock cliff inside the Perlan makes quite the impact because it feels so immediate—and perhaps inspires the people who see it to go visit the real rock cliffs for themselves!

Treehouse, Runge Nature Center, Jefferson City, MO Another great project that we did was the Runge Nature Center in Missouri. We created this treehouse with interactive features for the families that visit the center. This tree allows the visitors to learn more about the local environment and the animals that live there. While not as big as the rock wall in the Perlan Museum, this exhibit can make just as much of an impact on visitors. It can also inspire people to explore the area more and to learn more about the local environment.

Lifecast figures, National Museum of the Marine Corps, Triangle, VA One of our biggest projects currently in the works is for the National Museum of the Marine Corps. The museum is home to many marine figures, and all the figures that Taylor Studios make are cast from real marine soldiers. This makes the project particularly meaningful because as the marines are being cast, they share personal stories. These stories help influence the people making these figures to put as much of the real person into them as possible. The museum is also very active in providing accurate information on garments and tools, so the figures that are seen in the museum are exactly how they would have looked during the time period they represent.

This makes the life experiences and struggles these soldiers endured more real to visitors, and inspires them to always remember their sacrifices.

Model of Ephraim Slaughter, National Civil War Museum, Harrisburg, PA Another very special project that we did was for the National Civil War Museum in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. This was a smaller project—just one figure—but that figure had quite the story:

Ephraim Slaughter was born into slavery in 1846 but escaped later to join the Union. He fought for the 37th United States Colored troops, and after the war, he settled in Harrisburg. Taylor Studios wanted to make the figure as real as possible, so we used a black and white photo of Slaughter in his later years as reference and made a cast of one of our older employees to make the figure come to life.

One of the best features with this figure is that he is touchable, meaning that visitors can get close enough to see all the finer details, like the aged hands. This, along with his backstory, helps turn this figure into a person who actually lived and breathed, and his story is still an inspiration.

In helping create these exhibit pieces, Taylor Studios gets to continue our tradition of helping people inspire others. If you are looking to be inspired, please visit one of these wonderful museums, or of course, contact Taylor Studios to see how you can inspire others!